Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS January 29, 2015 Volume 47, Number 48 - $1.00
Tough Loss
Internal Audit
February Finds
The Hawks had their chances against Rock Falls but let them slip away. B1
The Sheriff’s Dept. is doing an internal audit of the Tow Fund. B8
Antiques and collectibles will be among the treasures Feb. 7 at February Finds. A6
Board tables proposed liquor law for second time By Vinde Wells Editor For a second time Tuesday, the Mt. Morris Village Board tabled a proposed ordinance governing minors being in businesses that sell liquor. The board first discussed changing the current ordinance Jan. 13 and tabled it then for “tweaking.” However, questions brought up Tuesday sent the
proposed ordinance back to village attorney Rob LeSage again for further refinement. The law currently on the books prohibits minors from being in any business that sells alcohol. “As the village ordinance currently is, families would be in violation as soon as they walked in the door,” LeSage said Jan. 13. One of the problems with that, he said, is that the
village hasn’t enforced it for years. The proposal brought to the board two weeks ago stipulated that minors could be in a business that sells liquor, but only if accompanied by their parents or guardians and only during hours when food is being served, and they must be consuming food. That proposal left it up to bar owners whether or not
minors who are following those rules could sit at the bar. However, several board members said they were opposed to minors sitting at the bar under any circumstances. The proposal presented Tuesday prohibited minors from being at a bar. Trustee Mary Francis, who heads the Ordinance Committee, asked Tuesday
By Vinde Wells Editor
OCEC vs VOP held for fourth time in Oregon
Ogle County Sheriff’s Police are still seeking information about a semi tractor trailer that struck and seriously injured an elderly Mt. Morris man as he rode his bicycle last week on Ill. 64. Michael Chizzo, 81, remained in serious condition Monday at St. Anthony Medical Center, Rockford, where he was taken after the hit-and-run accident on Jan. 21 on Ill. 64 east of the Mt. Morris village limits. Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle said the incident occurred at 5:55 a.m. and weather may have been a factor. Chizzo was taken by Mt.
By Chris Johnson Reporter
Cause of fire not yet determined By Vinde Wells Editor Oregon fire officials are still investigating a fire Jan. 23 that destroyed a large machine shed at an excavating business east of town. The fire, which was reported around 9 p.m. at Nordman Excavating, 1431 Ill. 64, destroyed the building and its contents. The business is owned by Bill Nordman, Oregon. Turn to A2
enforcement are up to the village liquor commissioner, who is currently village president Dan Elsasser. “A little bit of common sense in enforcement goes a long way,” LeSage said. “The liquor commissioner can say ‘Hey it’s prom night.’” Village treasurer Bruce True raised another question. Turn to A3
Police seek info on hit and run
All Stars play for crowd at OHS
A group of all stars visited the Blackhawk Center last Friday morning to take part in an annual tradition. The Ogle County All Stars took on the Village of Progress All Stars in a game of basketball. From the moment these athletes stepped onto the court they were treated like all stars. The faculty and staff of Oregon High School filled the bleachers to cheer on the competitors. Music from the pep band filled the air and prepared the crowd for the game. As the clock ticked past 10 a.m. the festivities began when each of the athletes was introduced to standing ovations and loud cheers. The Ogle County Educational Cooperative (OCEC) team and the Village of Progress team got together for their fourth annual game. OCEC provides special education services and programs for disabled students who are 3-21 years of age and residents of Ogle County. Village of Progress is
about events like prom when groups of high school students typically go out for supper without their parents or another adult. She said the proposed ordinance would mean they could no longer patronize restaurants that also sell liquor. Le Sage said that while it’s nearly impossible to cover all situations with an ordinance, some aspects of
Village of Progress All Star Matt Otten, left, and OCEC All Star JJ Slaton go for a rebound Friday morning during the annual game between the two teams played at OHS. Photo by Chris Johnson
a private not-for-profit corporation that was founded in 1969 to meet the training needs of adults with disabilities who reside in Ogle County. The Ogle County team plays seven games during the year including stops at Rockford Guilford,
Woodstock and Aurora. “There is no other school that we play at that supports our team better than the students at OHS,” said Gayle Noble, OCEC adapted physical education teacher. “The athletes love to have their peers witness their talents and it is all they talk
about throughout the entire year.” The game is important for the athletes and their families. Noble said one parent was moved to tears at seeing the joy the athletes when playing in the game.
Board rescinds fund transfer By Vinde Wells Editor
The Ogle County Board last week reversed a decision made three months earlier to transfer more than $60,000 from the county’s Tow Fund to the General Fund. When it met Jan. 20, the board rescinded its Oct. 20 Turn to A12 motion to transfer $61,713 improperly deposited into the Tow Fund to the General Fund where it rightfully belonged. County board chairman Kim Gouker said after last week’s meeting that the October action was taken to empty the Tow Fund and ensure that former sheriff Michael Harn, whose term was up Nov. 30, could not spend any more money from it. “We were trying to protect the funds from a lame duck sheriff,” Gouker said. “It was the only check and balance we had over that fund. We didn’t want to see it spent at the 11th hour for something that might not be appropriate. An Oregon firefighter kneels by a fire hose as a machine shed at Nordman Excavating And we don’t want to hogtie burns on Jan. 23, east of Oregon. Mt. Morris was one of several fire departments the new sheriff.” Present sheriff Brian called to the scene to battle the late evening fire. Photo by Angie Newman
In This Week’s Edition...
Church Bells, A5 Classifieds, B9-B14 College News, A4 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B8
Library News, A3 Marriage Licenses, A4 Mt. Morris Police, A2 Pine Creek News, A3 Public Voice, A8
Morris ambulance to KSB Hospital, Dixon, and later transferred to St. Anthony. Medical helicopters were called but could not fly due to the snowy conditions at the time. VanVickle said the semi driver may not be aware that his truck struck someone. A witness told police that the truck driver slowed his vehicle after striking Chizzo and then proceeded west. The semi was described as a tractor with a sleeper and a box trailer, both of unknown color. It may have minor damage to the passenger side front bumper. Anyone with information about the accident is asked to call the Ogle County Sheriff’s Office at 815-7326666.
Property Transfers, B6 Sheriff’s Arrests, B5 Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B6
VanVickle took over the post Dec. 1 after being elected Nov. 4. He defeated Harn in the March Republican primary election. The October action came the same night the board heard the results of a forensic examination of the Tow Fund. James Sullivan, director of dispute advisory for Sikich LLD, Naperville, told the board Oct. 20 that his firm’s forensic examination revealed that more than $10,000 is unaccounted for and that $61,713 was deposited into the Tow Fund that was meant for the General Fund. Sullivan said some of the $61,713 was $10,000 of a $12,920 check from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency which should have gone into the General Fund. He said the other $2,920 of the check was unaccounted for. The IEMA check to help cover overtime paid to deputies for working during a blizzard. The resolution to rescind Turn to A12
Deaths, B3 Dean Fletcher Montes “Polly” L. Ford Lucile G. Wyatt
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com